Ars at WWDC ’08: Live coverage, developer highlights

Ars Technica will be on the scene at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference …

It is the eve of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference 2008, and we are preparing for an exciting week of coverage. Tomorrow morning, 10 AM Pacific Time (1 PM Eastern Time), there will be the keynote, presented by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives. We will be covering the keynote live on the front page of Ars Technica, so please be sure to check back for our up-to-the-second updates, along with (hopefully) pictures!

As for what we expect to happen during tomorrow's keynote, there are a lot of possibilities. It's all but guaranteed that a 3G iPhone will be introduced, but there's some possibility that more than one device may be available (a smaller, cheaper version, perhaps). Check out our series of rumorroundups from the last week to find out what the current buzz is all about. There may be a subsidized version of the iPhone, too, so maybe all of our pocketbooks will start hurting a little less when the next-gen iPhone is finally available to the public. Maybe.

Aside from iPhone 3G mania, the big buzz revolves around the official SDK release, and the unleashing of the App Store, where developers will be able to sell (or give away) their native iPhone applications to the masses. We expect a major chunk of the keynote to be dedicated to showcasing some of the more prominent applications, and we're excited to see what everyone has developed so far. Of course, no WWDC would be complete without some in-depth discussion about Mac OS X (or is that just OS X?) and the future of the platform. Some expect Apple to preview the next update to the OS, code named Snow Leopard.

Long after most other publications go home, claiming to have covered WWDC, we will still be there, posting to Infinite Loop about our meetings and interviews with members of the Mac and iPhone development communities. Many of these devs have been working on iPhone software since before the SDK was even announced, while others are cranking out new and innovative Mac software. Since this is a developer conference after all, our posts will be dedicated to the developers who have made the Apple community what it is. It's a real shame that WWDC (and MacWorld) are largely ignored aside from the Keynote, but we will carry on our longstanding tradition of sticking around for the full story.

Of course, don't forget that Ars Technica is throwing a party in conjunction with Gizmodo on Tuesday evening. We'll post a reminder closer to the event, but it'll be taking place at 8pm Pacific Time at Harlot, located on 46 Minna Street (close to the Moscone Center). There, you'll be able to chat with me, a couple of other Ars staffers, and tons of other readers over a few drinks. We can't wait to see you all there!